


Glad I Have You

by SecretGeniusShittyKnight (augopher)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe- Holster and Ransom did not go to Samwell together, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Established Relationship, Jewish Adam "Holster" Birkholtz, M/M, Medical Student Justin "Ransom" Oluransi, Meet the Family, NHL player Adam "Holster" Birkholtz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 20:31:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11813664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/augopher/pseuds/SecretGeniusShittyKnight
Summary: Ransom and Holster have been dating for two years when Ransom finally introduces him to his family. Amusing misconceptions abound.





	Glad I Have You

“Relax, Holtzy,” Ransom cooed as he came up behind Holster at the bathroom counter of their hotel room, hugging him from behind, “your hair looks fine.” He pressed a kiss to the back of his shoulder.

“You’re just saying that because you love me.” He got his hands wet again and tried, however futilely, to smooth down the errant piece of hair at the back of his head. “This damn cowlick won’t stay down. I look ridiculous.”

Ransom spun him around so he could face him. “Well yes, but it has nothing to do with your hair. You’re not planning on wearing socks with sandals tonight are you?”

“What? No, I’m-” he stopped as he looked down at his feet. “Oh my God. I’m gonna die. Tonight is gonna kill me.”

Ransom tugged Holster’s hand until he followed him. Then, he nudged him to sit on the bed. From their suitcase, he pulled out Holster’s dress shoes and set them beside him. “Breathe, babe.” He slotted himself between Holster’s open legs and cupped his face with both hands. “They are going to love you.”

“Are they? How can you be so sure? For all we know, they see me as the bad boy jock leading their med-student son astray.”

Ransom cackled. “Bad boy?  _You_? Have you met you? Holster, you sing Bette Midler in the shower and quote musicals. You are like the opposite of bad boy.”

“Okay well maybe not bad boy.”

“I love that about you. And besides,” he said before kissing Holster’s forehead, “I’m pretty sure my sisters think you’re my sugar daddy or something.”

Holster groaned, “No, why’d you have to tell me that? Now that is the only thing that will be in my head when I meet them.”

“Well at least it won’t be worrying over your hair,” he said with a wink.

***

“My goodness. Justin said you were big, but I thought he meant about his size,” Mrs. Oluransi said after Ransom introduced Holster to his parents. “What do they feed you boys down in Boston?”

He gave her an awkward chuckle. “I’m from Buffalo originally. Everyone in my family is tall, even my mom. Giant genes I guess.” What was she fretting over? He was only two inches taller than Ransom.

“Now my son’s been awfully mysterious about what you do for a living and how you met. So much so that the family has a betting pool over. Try not to take Dami’s guess to heart. I’m half convinced she’s joking.”

“Only half?” Holster hoped he came off as charming, but he was fairly certain he missed the mark. Even though her response to meeting him was warm and genuine, his nerves continued to get the better of him.

“So you’re the one keeping my son from worrying himself to death over his exams? I don’t know if I should hug you or send a fruit basket.” Mr. Oluransi’s handshake was firm, almost to the point of being painful, and briefly, Holster wondered if it was meant to hurt as sort of a warning in that ‘You hurt my son and I will end you’ sort of way.

“Um…I like oranges.” Okay, now that laugh that bubbled from him just then, was definitely uncomfortable.

“Okay, Dad, that’s enough scaring my boyfriend.” The comforting weight of Ransom’s fell upon his shoulders as he led Holster away from the firing line.

 

***

 

The spread at the dinner table was more than Holster expected, but Ransom was quick to remind him that his parents hadn’t gone through all the trouble for him and Ransom. It was Ife’s birthday after all. After a quick run-through, Holster loaded his plate with sides, trying to be inconspicuous as he avoided helping himself to a serving of the main entree.

His efforts it seemed were only temporarily successful as Mrs. Oluransi noticed the lack of meat on his plate. “Oh where are my manners,” she said, passing him the platter, “I didn’t realize no one passed the pork chops to you. Take as many as you like now that we’ve all got some. I’m sure you have a monster appetite.”

For a brief moment, he considered eating it anyway so as not to seem rude, but there was no need not to keep Kosher when there were more than enough side dishes to fill him up. It was one thing if pork was pretty much the only thing available. He wouldn’t want to put anyone through the trouble of making him something else to eat. “That’s okay, ma’am, I’m Jewish…so no pork.. I have plenty eat on my plate, thank you though.”

A hint of embarrassment flashed across her face, and he was about to backtrack and take a pork chop anyway when she turned her attention to Ransom, giving him a playful smack on the shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me he was Jewish, Justin? I would have made chicken instead.”

The subtle hint of pink flushed in Ransom’s cheeks. “Sorry. I just forgot.”

“Uh huh. Just like you forgot to tell us what he does for a living and how you met other than ‘at the hospital.’ You know we don’t care what religion, race, or gender the people our kids date are, so long as they’re good to you. Let me go make you something else, Adam.”

He waved her off. “No really. Please don’t go through the trouble. I have more than enough to choose from with these side dishes.”

Dami took a drink of her wine and then broke her silence. “Must be nice, Justin, having your boyfriend buy you box tickets to any Bruins’ game you want.”

“I don’t buy him tickets,” Holster corrected, “my company has a private box we can get tickets for.” This was true. The Bruins were indeed a company, and the Family Suite, formerly known as the WAG’s box, was a private box. He didn’t have to buy tickets, just needed to reserve a seat for him.

“Touché.”

Ife cut in. “Or you know… pay your tuition.”

“Excuse you, Ife. He did not pay my tuition. I am buried under student loan debt, thank you very much.”

Holster turned to him, brows knitting in concern. “Oh you didn’t need to take out more loans. I would have been happy to pay-”

Ransom leveled him with a glare that had him shrinking in his seat.

“Right. I get that you don’t want to be a burden, but… it would be a gift because I want to do it for someone I love, and I don’t want you to have the extra stress. It’s not like I have anything better to do with my paycheck.”

“You already pay my rent, Holtzy.”

“Excuse you,” he said half-joking, “I do not. I pay the mortgage on our condo.”

“It’s _your_ condo.”

“That we picked out together. You're on the title are you not? Ergo, it is _our_ condo."

The sheepish look on Ransom’s face told him to drop the issue, but nevertheless, he set Holster’s mind at ease. “We’ll talk about this later okay?”

“Aww,” Ife and Dami cooed in unison.

Ransom pointed his fork at them “Stop that.”

“What?”

“Uh huh, and don’t play innocent with me, Dami. I know you.”

She covered her heart with her hand. “How dare you suggest a thing. I was about to say marry this boy. Marry him right now, because anyone with arms like that,” she pointed to Holster’s biceps. Damn it. He knew he should have worn a sweater; he’d outgrown this dress shirt, “and is willing to pay for your medical school just because he loves you is a keeper. Who cares if he’s a stripper, apparently a good one if he can offer to pay for your schooling?”

Holster choked on his beer. “Excuse me Why do you think I’m a stripper? I mean not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

“Had to be something embarrassing for Justin to keep it a secret the way he did.”

Before Holster could offer a rebuttal, Ransom cackled. “Adam? A stripper? Guy is the worst dancer in the history of bad dancers. Though he may be in fantastic shape, and trust me, he is, he would basically have to just stand there. Not much money in tips if he can’t shake his booty. Though, Holtzy, if you  _were_  a stripper, I wouldn’t be embarrassed by it. Only by your bad dancing.”

“Thanks, babe.”

“Awwww.”

“Again with the unison thing!” Ransom groaned. “You two are a couple of menaces.”

Holster took another drink, this time managing to swallow it without doing a spit take. “He didn’t say anything because in my line of work, being anything other than straight is…well people don’t want to know about it. They claim to be accepting, but it’s mostly a ruse.”

Mr. Oluransi wiped his mouth with his napkin before returning it to his lap. “Now son, is that something you really want, to be in a secret relationship for an extended amount of time? No offense, Adam. I’m just looking out for my son here.”

“Dad, it was my idea. Well mostly. And anyway, his coworkers know about me. It’s the rest of his field that doesn’t.”

“And they treat you well, both of you?”

“Oh yeah. The ladies just love Justin.” Holster patted him on the cheek. “They think he has the, and I quote, ‘most beautiful eyes’,” he said in a dreamy, singsong voice. “Frankly, I think they like him more than they like me. As well they should.”

Mrs. Oluransi finished chewing her bite of rice. “So Adam, has your family met Justin?”

He wiped his mouth. “Yeah. My parents came down for Passover last spring with my youngest sister. We had Seder. They think he’s ‘so interesting’. It was all ‘Oh honey, it’s so wonderful you’re dating a doctor.’ The fact he’s a med student didn’t seem to matter to them.”

The sound of the front door opening and closing drew their attention from their dinner.

“Sorry we’re late, there was an accident on the 401, had traffic at a standstill. Happy Birthday, Ife.”

Ransom tapped Holster on the shoulder. “So Holtzy, this is My Aunt Ade, my Uncle Josiah, and my cousins Benita and Jonah. This is Adam, m-”

Mrs. Oluransi jumped in, seeming to recall the previous conversation. “This is Justin’s roommate and best friend.”

“Holy sh…Wow! No way!!”

“What?” Dami asked, and Holster just knew what Jonah’s answer would be.

“How can you be so calm when last year’s Norris Trophy winner and All-Star defenseman is sitting at your kitchen table?”

Ransom sighed, “Yes, thank you, Jonah. We were trying to not dwell on that.”

“But man, did you have to be friends with a Bruin?”

“Could be worse. He could play for the Habs.” Ransom tried making a joke to break the silence on his family’s slack-jawed faces.

“So like, Birkholtz…how did you manage to meet my boring cousin here? It’s not like your circles run together.”

_Quick. Think up a lie. Come on come on._ “So one of my teammates has a younger brother in school with Justin. He mentioned that a buddy of his brother was looking for a place to live, and I just happened to have a spare room. And let’s be real here, I hate living by myself. Justin’s great. He used to play hockey so we like already had something in common.”

“So cool. No way my buddies are gonna believe this. Upped your cool factor by like ten, Justin.”

Beside him, Ransom stiffened. “Or like you could just  _not_  tell them, you know, if you already know they won’t believe you.”

Jonah plopped down in the seat across from Holster, wasting no time in loading his plate with as much food as possible. Ah to be a teenager again, without having to worry about calories and keeping in shape. “Nuh uh. No way I’m gonna hide the fact that I know a professional hockey player. Too cool a fact not to pass on. So tell me, is Chara really as big as he looks? Cause dude looks like a giant.”

“Yes.” Holster obliged the kid as he continued to pepper him with questions about hockey, and why wouldn’t he? The things he wanted to know were innocent enough until…

“Okay spill. I know you must have tons of juicy stories about players and gossip. You know like who is cheating on their wife with a Playboy model, who has secret children with his cleaning woman?”

“Why, so you can call up the tabloids and tip them off? Nice try, Jonah. Adam is not your personal gossip source.”

“I would never!” He visibly shrank in his chair. “I just like the idea of knowing something no one else knows. That’s all.” He continued to mutter under his breath things like ‘What do you take me for?’ and ‘Thanks a lot, Justin. Putting me on that level.’

The rest of the dinner passed without much fanfare, and once everyone had eaten cake, Ransom’s extended family cleared out, leaving just his parents and sisters.

“Care to tell us how you actually met then, Justin?” his mother asked.

“Oh, I was working on my summer internship at the hospital a couple years ago when Adam came in.”

“Never let it be said that Ikea furniture comes without risks. There is a reason why boxes say ‘This side Up.’ Bottom of the box opened on me, and the boards all fell on my foot. Also, flip flops? Not safe footwear for carpentry. Had to make sure my foot wasn’t broken.”

“And was it?”

“No, thankfully. Anyway, Justin was working the admissions desk when I came in.”

“This guy,” Ransom said, gesturing a thumb in Holster’s direction, “has no game whatsoever. But it was cute how hard he tried.”

“Hey!” Holster feigned insult. “My flirting got me your number so it couldn’t have been that bad.”

“No. I’m pretty sure those baby blues got me to hand over the digits.”

“Traitor,” he deadpanned.

“I can’t believe you didn’t introduce us to him for two years, Justin.”

“And  _I_  can’t believe you thought he was in the mob, Ife.”

 

***

 

Holster crowded Ransom against just inside the closed door of his childhood bedroom. “Does it really bug you when I offer to buy you things, pay for things for you?”

Before Ransom answered, he shucked his shirt and tossed it over the back of the desk chair. “A little. Sometimes.”

Holster traced a finger along Ransom’s collarbone. “Okay. I won’t bring it up again. But if you change your mind, just ask. Anything you want, Ransy. Ask.”

Ransom kissed the tip of Holster’s nose and smiled. “I was right.”

“About what?”

“They loved you. You survived meeting my family.”

Holster chuckled. “I know and the only collateral damage beside any belief I had in my dancing ability was that your sisters want you to marry me because I’m rich.”

“No, that’s not why. I’m pretty sure they think you’re cute.”

“Well, they’re not wrong.”

Ransom wrapped his arms around Holster’s waist. “No, they’re not. Not about you being cute. About the other thing, yeah.”

Holster raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh?”

“When I do, it won’t be because of your paycheck. Promise.”

All the blood rushed to his face. “Really?” he croaked out. “You want to?  _Me_?”

Ransom pulled him closer. “Definitely. Have wanted to for a while now.”

“Wow,” his voice was barely more than a whisper. “That’s s’wawesome. Hey, I’d love to continue this, but I gotta go brush my teeth. And then you can tell me all about it while we cuddle in that way too small bed for us.”

“Pretty sure my parents will be upgrading to a bigger one now that they know you’ll be coming around more.”

Out in the hallway, Mrs. Oluransi snagged him. “Hey Adam, I’m sorry if my stepping in with Jonah was out of bounds or anything. It was just that I remembered what you said how it was this unspoken thing in the league, and I didn’t want you and Justin to worry about that. I promise my daughters won’t say anything, and nor will the two of us.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you said something. It’s hard; it really is. Making sure not to hold his hand or stand too close in public. I hate it, but Justin doesn’t want me to have that added pressure, or the target on my back when I play. I tell him all the time that I’m not afraid of that. He says that’s the problem, and maybe I should be. In reality, I just think he doesn’t want me to feel like I have to choose him over my career. But I would in a heartbeat. Hockey’s not…it’s not everything.”

She patted his cheek. “I’m glad he has you.”

“Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit me on [tumblr](http://secretgeniusshittyknight.tumblr.com)


End file.
